


Sunshine in London

by xodracovius



Category: The Infernal Devices Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Gen, M/M, Multi, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25167811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xodracovius/pseuds/xodracovius
Summary: Jem finds some interesting things in Tessa’s closet.
Relationships: Heronstairs - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Sunshine in London

**Author's Note:**

> Mention of Heronstairs, mention of NSFW

Sunshine in London was always rare, and therefore must be treated as such. The sunshine beamed down through the Institute’s stained glass windows, leaving the lanterns scarcely lit as the halls glowed with sunlight. The Institute was empty. Today was one of the calmer days, where the demons retreated into the shadows and left the mundanes to bask in their blissful ignorance. With little to do in the stuffy summer heat, many of the Institute’s hunters set out on enjoying the day.

William Herondale roved aimlessly about the halls, sighing to himself. This morning had been one of Jem’s worse days; he’d woken coughing up blood and struggling to stand. Will, ever the loyal parabatai, had stayed by his side, changing sheets, fetching clothes and water, feeding Jem when he could barely sit. He knew that night he’d have to fetch more _yin fen_ ; he scoffed. If only there had been a cure, Will would go to the ends of the Earth, to hell and back, to find a cure for his boy. He knew Jem would do the same for him if he’d known of his curse. On the subject, he made a mental note to pay Magnus a visit that night and check on his progress.

The gentle sound of a violin getting louder by the second flowed through the Institute. Will paused. Looking around, he laughed to himself. _Hm. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I failed to notice I was walking right to Jem’s room_. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Will pushed the door open. Jem, suddenly graced with the strength to stand—courtesy of a few runes, though Will didn’t need to know that— dragged the bow slowly across the strings of his violin, producing a serene sound that echoed in the room. The sunlight did not reflect the mood of this piece; it was a sad ballad, quiet and sorrowful.

“Will, is that you?” Jem raised his head, eyes still closed as his fingers kept their movement. Will laughed. Closing the door he walked in, perching himself atop Jem’s desk.

”Of course it’s me, Jem. Everyone else has already gone.” Jem opened his eyes and set his violin down.

“Of course, I should have known. All of London is basking in the sun, us hunters are no different.” Jem slid his violin case beneath his bed. A coy smile twitched at the edge of his lips and he turned to his parabatai. “If I am correct—and not being horridly presuming— Tessa and Jessamine are out as well yes?”

“That is correct.”

“And you did not go with them?”

“I did not.”

Jem strode over to Will, leaning slightly on his cane for support. He looked like a little old man, Will thought with a grin. James Carstairs, with his silver hair like a little old man, his pale and lanky frame, his ornate cane like a little old man’s, even the way he sipped his tea by the evening moon with a book loosely in hand the way a little old man would. At times, when the night offered them secrecy and their swords were slick with ichor, Jem looked powerful. One could forget the _yin fen_ in his veins and appreciate his strength in all its angelic glory; Jem Carstairs with a kind heart and a knack for slicing through demons when his ailments offered him some reprieve. Will looked up at him. Though Jem leaned on his cane, Jem was still ridiculously tall— much of his extraordinary height lied in his legs rather than being evenly spread out. Will had to lean back against the desk due to this particularly peculiar fact; there was only one thing Will had a distaste for more than oddly proportioned people and those were the disgraceful feathered beings at the pond. Though Will couldn’t say he disliked Jem’s odd proportions. In fact, he happened to make exceptions for Jem quite often; this was no different.

“I must say you have surprised me, William. Not jumping at the chance to spend the day with Miss Theresa Gray and our lovely Jessamine is _so_ unlike you.” There was a hint of sarcasm to his voice as his grin grew and Will couldn’t suppress his eye roll.

“I’ll have you know that dress shopping for one of Charlotte and Henry’s ridiculous baby celebrations does not catch my fancy.” He sniffed disdainfully. Jem leaned down slightly, resting the cane against the desk in favor of placing his hands on the desktop for support. Will blinked. Jem was blissfully close. The scent of burnt sugar encased his senses and he sighed.

“I have an idea you might be fond of…” he whispered. “Perhaps it might, as you say, _catch your fancy_.”

♡♡♡

When Tessa and Jessamine walked through the doors of the Institute, it was oddly silent. Though the pair of them knew that Jem would not be in good enough health to traipse the halls freely and make mischief with Will, they did not expect this silence. Will was always making mischief and Jem was _always_ playing his violin loud enough to hear. Tessa raised a brow and looked over at Jessamine. When the other shrugged, twirling her parasol aimlessly, Tessa set their bags down and gathered her skirts in her hand, taking off down the hall.

“Where are you going!?” Jessamine called, crossing her arms. Tessa did not answer and instead sharply turned down another corridor, intent on finding the answer to the silence.

“Will…” Came the first noise. It was a breathy groan, so faint Tessa would have missed it had she not stopped in front of the door to Jem’s room. Pausing, she pressed her ear gently to the door, careful to not push it open.  _ It’s times like these I wish I had more control over my magic _ . She thought to herself.

“Will- ah, Will that’s too tight…” came the second noise. Tessa gasped silently. She knew the two were close, much closer than seemed normal for two young men, though she never judged for she did not know the sacred bond of parabatai. This, however, never dared cross her mind, even when it seemed painfully obvious. Tessa leaned in closer.

“Hold still, Jem, you’re going to hurt yourself.” was Will’s reply. There was a hint of exasperation, an impatience that made Jem scoff. Tessa shivered at the tone in his voice. It was hushed, a low sound meant only for Jem’s ears, and though she felt wrong for listening in on this obviously intimate moment, Tessa could not deny herself the thrill of eavesdropping on her two boys.

“I could hold still if you weren’t moving so slow.” Jem snapped back.

Will laughed and did something, causing Jem to hiss lowly. “I could always speed up the process, but don’t come whining to me about you hurting later on. I might be so cruel as to deny you an _iratze_ just to watch you beg.” His tone was playful and Tessa silenced her giggle behind her gloved hand.

“Please, William, nothing you can do in this moment will hurt me. Just hurry  _ up _ .” He hissed quietly. “I do not wish to be caught in such a compromising position.”

There was a pause. Tessa strained to listen to what they were doing. Suddenly there was a thump, as if someone was pushed onto furniture, or the floor. Tessa made a face. The bed seemed like the best place, but who was she to judge?

“Are you ready?” There was another shift of movement and Jem gasped.

“Wait— Will, I’m not ready yet, hold on—“ Another thump and a cry of “ _Will!_ ” had Tessa stumbling into the room.

“What in the Angel’s name is going  _ on _ !?” she yelled. “I can’t believe you two, do you realize the trouble you could be in?” Jem and Will looked over. Tessa was shielding her eyes, unable to see what they were doing.

“Tessa, please look at us.” Jem said. There was a hint of amusement to his voice which exasperated Tessa. How could they find this funny, to be caught in such a manner? She shook her head and kept her hand firmly over her eyes.

“Tessa, please.” Will tried, still smiling. Tessa sighed and carefully removed her hand. Will laughed. He stood behind Jem, fingers tightly holding a set of corset strings in his grip. Jem was bent over in front of him, truly in a compromising position. He was sweating, hair hanging damply over his head as evidence of the intense heat. He rested his elbows against the desk. He looked as if he was straining to stay in place.

Will tugged on the strings lightly as he held Tessa’s gaze. Jem groaned and bent further over the desk. Tessa stifled a giggle as she walked over to them. She snatched the strings from Will’s hand and tugged just a bit more before tying an artful knot at the end of the strings. Though she would deny it aloud, Jem’s hiss and sigh as she did so made her smile.

“If I may ask…” she asked as she sat on the bed. “Why  _ are _ you lacing Jem up into a corset?”

Will laughed as he pulled a day dress over Jem’s head. It was nothing too extravagant, not in this heat. “It’s a funny story, really. Earlier I found Jem, surprise surprise, playing violin with strength to stand. We had a very lovely conversation about the weather and you were even brought into mention, Miss Gray.

”See, Jem, after four years, has not yet learned that my priorities lie with him first, the world second. He was quite shocked to learn that I had chosen to stay here whilst you and dear Jessie went dress shopping. He knows I could use a new wardrobe, I think I’ve pestered him so often of my wardrobe’s lack of color that I might as well have talked him to death.” Will rolled his eyes and Tessa smiled. “So Jem, ever the pleaser and loyal parabatai, offered something else to uh..  _ make up _ for the pretty day we missed together. And so we went into your room, Miss Gray—“

“You went into my _room?_ ” Tessa raised a brow. “Whatever for?”

“Well for your lovely wardrobe options of course.” Will spoke as if it was obvious, gesturing to Jem who twirled in his dress. “We found a corset and a simple day dress for Jem to experiment with. Now the issue we were faced with, however, is that I have never put a corset on another man, and Jem has never had his insides cruelly squeezed by one. So we spent the better part of the afternoon figuring out how to work one, and  _ that _ was when you walked in. Whatever did you think we were doing?”

Tessa thought for a moment before grinning. “Well I thought you two boys made good use of the empty Institute to do something particularly scandalous. You know, like I so often hear in the depths of night.” She winked at the pair of them. Will’s eyes widened. Jem’s cheeks bloomed a deep red.

“I— we— we would _never_ do that!!”


End file.
